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July 14, 2021

No Place Like Home


A graduate of Northern Guilford High School, Lideah Shively ’22 credits her Guilford College experience with helping her discover what she truly wants to do with her life. She also values the supportive community she has found at the College.

“I visited Guilford, and I just loved the way everyone asked me how my day was. I felt like they really cared. You get a connected feeling you don’t get at big schools.”

Lideah Shivley '22
English major

“It’s very welcoming and friendly,” she says, “and I feel like everyone really tries to make sure you succeed.”

Going Coastal, Returning Home

Lideah first attended a coastal university before returning to Greensboro to study at Guilford. She originally thought she wanted that big college experience. After studying away for a semester, however, and visiting friends who are still in the Greensboro area, she missed the community feeling she had in high school.

“I visited Guilford, and I just loved the way everyone asked me how my day was,” she says. “I felt like they really cared. You get a connected feeling you don’t get at big schools.”

Soon she discovered that she wanted to major in English and Creative Writing. “I knew I always wanted to work with people and that I want to make a difference.”

Campus Life

Lideah says she enjoys the various forms of writing, graphics, and communication involved in her internship with the Guilford Marketing Department. She also notes English professors Virginia Smith and Heather Hayton, who is also her academic adviser, for helping her focus on her major and goals.

Lideah also started a cheerleading team at Guilford and is the team captain. She works as the social media manager and a DJ for WQFS, the College radio station. Upon graduation, she would like to have a job in marketing at a liberal-arts college and to coach cheerleading at some point in the future.

Her advice to future Guilfordians? “Get as many internships and hands-on experiences as you can! That’s what helped me realize what I want to do,” she explains. “I like that writing captions for social media is completely different from actually creating the posts. I also love music in a whole different way because of WQFS. I never thought I would like to talk on the radio because it’s public speaking, but I do enjoy it.”

Are you interested in a career in marketing or communications? Schedule your personalized visit to campus to learn more about the majors and professors who are ready to help you reach your goals.